Harry Potter and The Secret of The Heirs
by Hermione24
Summary: It's Harry's Seventh Year and while things have been quiet Harry's certain they won't remain that way for long. Now he has to deal with Prophecies, a Covenant, making life changing decisions, falling in love and learning the truth about his parents.
1. Default Chapter

Harry Potter and The Secret of The Heirs  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
'Now this bell tolling softly for another says to me, thou must die'  
  
The bells were tolling.  
  
The church tower appeared as though bewitched. It was all that remained of the old medieval church that had been destroyed over and over again by constant war and bickering of the people. They had not wanted to rebuild the church; most of them did not even want to step anywhere near it. They were frightened of the bells. The inscription said it all. They were just plain scared. There was no way to ring the bells, either.  
  
Yet the bells tolled.  
  
Local villagers knew what the tolling meant they were all aware of the superstition, surrounding the enchanted old church tower. The bells would toll all night. They no longer bothered to go and search for the bodies. It was rarely one of their people anyhow, and even if they searched high and low they could never find the body. But they knew what had happened. The inscription told them. And even though it was rarely one of them, it did not stop children from running to their parents for comfort, nor did it stop them from cringing every time they heard a bell after they had left the village.  
  
The bells were tolling.  
  
*~*  
  
Miles away a young man awoke with a start. The pain was intense; he clutched at his forehead in agony. The world around him was dark. All that was there was a sound of agony. The pain overwhelmed him. The vision was haunting.  
  
*~*  
  
The traitor was running. He had escaped from those guarding him, only by a small stroke of luck. He knew he had to run fast and hard to escape, but where could he go. He had walked into a trap and they had caught him. They had thrown him in a cell, and then questioned him for hours on end. He refused to talk. Then they had tortured him, deprived him of food and water and still he refused to talk. Finally they had cursed him. He tried to resist, however the temptation was too strong. He had told them everything. He had not wanted to, however he had been weak, unable to resist. It would not matter now. His master would be disappointed in him. His master would kill him, or send others to kill him. His only hope was to escape and find a safe hideout. If only he knew where he was. He could hear bells tolling; perhaps he could run towards them.  
  
Perhaps death would be a better option. If his pursuers captured him, they would kill him, it may not be painless, but at least it would be quick. If they did not kill him, he would be placed in prison, where he would serve a life sentence. Another form of torture. If his followers found him, they would torture him, his death would not be painless, nor would it be quick.  
  
He stopped to take a breath. He looked around. They were behind him, in front and on either side of him. He was surrounded. He began to scream. One of his pursuers leant over and kissed him.  
  
The local villagers could not hear the scream of the man, nor the deadly silence that followed it.  
  
The bells were tolling.  
  
*~*  
  
The traitor's master sensed something was wrong.  
  
He knew that fool of a servant would betray him. He was weak and spineless.  
  
'If only I had not been so stupid as to confide in him, but then he was the least suspected accomplice.'  
  
Thoughts plagued the master's brain.  
  
There was nothing he could do about it now; he would just have to be careful for a little while longer before the time came to strike.  
  
Suddenly, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain attack his body. He was in overwhelming agony. It felt like part of him was dying.  
  
He vowed revenge.  
  
Chapter One  
  
A Time of New Beginnings.  
  
Harry looked glum as he greeted the Dursley's at Kings Cross Station. He had not been looking forward to spending this summer with them, but he was not yet of age. He had to stay with them or stay with his godfather, Sirius. Now while it was possible for him to stay with Sirius, he had wanted time to become reacquainted with his family, and to put his affairs in order. So off to Privet Drive again for Harry, hopefully for the last time.  
  
His aunt made some scathing remark about how disappointed they were that Harry had not managed to get himself killed this year. The remark didn't bother Harry, he was used to the constant abuse from his aunt and uncle, but what stunned him was Dudley's response.  
  
'Lay off him,' he yelled at his parents. 'How would you like it if you two had died and his parents had treated me like you treat Harry? You've never even thought of how your sister would feel about they way you treat even if Harry is a wizard. There, I'm not afraid to say it. My cousin is a wizard and I'm proud of it. I'll even make a badge and wear it around all the time that says; My cousin is a wizard! What do you think of that?'  
  
Dudley was rebelling. He was sick of his parents. Whether or not he meant what he said Harry did not know. He only wondered at the reason for the sudden outburst.  
  
Both Vernon and Petunia were shocked. The thought had obviously never crossed their minds. However little they liked Lily and James, Petunia knew that there was no way that they would have treated Dudley this way. They didn't know what to say. Harry broke the silence by taking the opportunity to raise an idea that had come to his head.  
  
'Aunt Petunia, are there any jobs I could do for you to earn some pocket money this summer. On top of my ordinary chores, that is. And I would work cheaply as you have been so kind to put me up for so long.'  
  
Harry felt like gagging at the thought of how kind they've been, but he felt that he should probably earn some money; his fortune wasn't going to keep growing if he kept spending.  
  
To Harry's surprise Petunia muttered that she might have some work that both he and Dudley could do to earn some extra money, and learn how to work together to achieve something. She did comment that she wouldn't pay either of them very much though, given that they were both lazy. Apparently Dudley's teachers had commented on the fact that Dudley did not like teamwork too much. At least he had lost a lot of weight. I guess that's what liking girls did for you. Dudley looked great.  
  
Girls.  
  
Harry's thoughts wandered to Cho and then to Ginny and finally to Lavender. Cho had been devastated following Cedric's death, but had asked Harry out anyway. He was extremely nervous about the whole affair. Harry just didn't feel secure around her at all. The whole time they spent together in Hogsmeade Harry just felt guilty about Cedric dying. He finally told Cho that he just couldn't be with her because of Cedric. Cho looked as if her heart had been broken but had come around to see that Harry was right; things just couldn't work between them.  
  
Ginny, well that was different. She had run after Harry for as long as he could remember, but it had just been a crush. Harry finally had seen Ginny in a different light, other than just his best friend's sister who had a little crush on him. They had been dating for about a month, when Ginny had told him she didn't love him and that she had realised that she had just been infatuated with the idea of Harry Potter. She loved him dearly but only as a friend. He should have seen it coming. She told him that she was sorry, she had never wanted to lead him on, but she had come to realise that it had just been a crush. He was such a good friend, and she didn't want to loose him but she realised that she didn't love him.  
  
That had hurt.  
  
Harry had initially been heartbroken. It had taken him a long time to muster the courage to kiss her and tell her how he thought he felt. Then, after her 'confession' it had taken Harry some time, a glimpse of Ginny with another student, a glimpse of a stunningly pretty girl and a long time spent crying in Hermione's arms to realise that he didn't love her either. He had just been infatuated by how quickly she had matured into a stunningly beautiful young lady. Harry realised that this had stemmed from the fact that Ginny reminded him of his mother. Well not reminded so much, but looked like her in the photos Hagrid had given him. He must remember to ask his aunt for any photos she might have. He felt a need to see them; he missed his parents so much.  
  
And Lavender, well she was very pretty and Harry found himself spending many hours dreaming about her.  
  
Well to be honest dreaming about the way she had kissed him at the Valedictory Ball. That's what it had taken for her to get Harry to notice her.  
  
Harry had grown up a lot during the time that had elapsed since Voldemort returned. He had discovered girls, and it was actually this discovery of girls that had brought he and Dudley together. Last summer, Dudley had been forever pestering him to make him a love potion; Harry's standard response was along the lines of 'You know I'm not allowed to do magic away from school, I'm still underage.' But Dudley wasn't so sure, as Harry's green eyes glistened with a hint of mischief when he replied, and Dudley thought that if Harry had the chance, he might just perform some magic, without the authorities knowing, and if he was nice enough Dudley might just reap the benefits.  
  
Soon they arrived at Privet Drive, when Harry finally pulled himself out of his dream state. He was certain there would be plenty of time to daydream about what had happened the past few weeks. Truthfully he had been on edge since the night he had had that vision of Voldemort clutching in agony. Harry hadn't known what to make of the vision, nor did he fully understand all the events that had unfolded that evening. He knew the result of it meant that Sirius was now free, but Harry wondered at the cost. Voldemort had seemed enraged, determined to seek revenge and what Harry feared, and had told no one, was the Voldemort would seek his revenge on Harry. Sirius had asked Harry to be patient and reassured him that when Harry came to stay they could sit down and discuss everything, but warned him that if his scar hurt again to owl Dumbledore immediately. Harry had thought that this implied that he wasn't able to look after himself properly. Basically that meant Sirius would owl him when he was ready for Harry to come and stay with him, but until then Harry should only bother Sirius if it was something extremely important. Hence Harry would just have to put up with Privet Drive until then.  
  
On reaching his room Harry owled his friends to let them know he had arrived safely and got settled in for what could be a long wait. He hoped that Ron and Hermione could work things out over summer; he really didn't care to spend the best part of the year acting as a go between the pair of them.  
  
*~*  
  
A week later, Harry was feeling stronger, from the amount of physical exercise he and Dudley had been doing. He had enjoyed the time working with Dudley, the boys having spent most of the time reflecting on life at boarding school and of the two girls who had captured the young men's hearts. However Dudley remained selfish and spoilt, and ended up supplying company for Harry, instead of actually doing much work. Taking a break from the English sun, Harry wandered inside for a drink, when two owls flew in with letters for Harry. Harry recognised one as the owl he had bought Sirius, when he had been pardoned and the other was possibly a school owl. Harry thought he had better read the school one first.  
  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Dear Mr Potter, I am writing to inform you that you have been selected as Head Boy for the coming school year. It is a responsibility, which I know you will not take lightly. Your mother and father would be extremely proud of you. If you wish to accept this position please reply with this owl immediately. The Head Girl upon acceptance of the position will be Hermione Granger. Your fellow seventh year prefects will remain unchanged, however to remind you they are: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger from Gryffindor House Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson from Slytherin House Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley from Hufflepuff House Terry Boot and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw House I await your return owl, Yours Sincerely Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress  
  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Head Boy?  
  
Harry hadn't even considered the possibility. He was ecstatic. He almost couldn't believe it. And Hermione Head Girl. It was wonderful. 'Thank God Ron's Quidditch captain' He thought. He quickly ran and grabbed a parchment and replied in the affirmative to Professor McGonagall's letter before she had time to consider that he may not be the most appropriate appointment. Harry ran around the house yelling;  
  
'Everyone, I just got a letter, I'm Head Boy'  
  
Dudley wasn't surprised. Somehow he had always sensed that his cousin would achieve. Perhaps that's why he didn't like him very much. He ran up to Harry and gave him a congratulatory hug. Harry didn't quite know what had hit him. Harry felt awkward, this was totally out of character.  
  
Then Harry was completely shocked by his aunt and uncle's reaction.  
  
'You, Head Boy?' Petunia asked.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
Petunia ran up and hugged him.  
  
'This is so wonderful, we'll take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate. Somewhere fancy.'  
  
As Harry looked at her face, it was absolutely beaming with pride. He wondered whether or not this turn around was because of what Dudley had said, because he had been making an effort to get along with them, because they knew that he wasn't staying long, or because someone had fed the entire a household a potion or placed them under the Imperius Curse. Harry decided he didn't care; he was going to enjoy the time while it lasted.  
  
While everyone was rushing around getting ready for dinner, Harry opened his letter from Sirius. It's contents just added to his excitement.  
  
Dear Harry, I have had time to sort everything out; your room is ready and awaits your arrival. I assume you have quite a few things to bring with you, so instead of coming to get you on my bike, I will borrow my sister's car and come and get you. Is Monday fine? Please send a reply as soon as possible, so that I can make the arrangements. I hope that everything else is going well, we will talk when you arrive. Love  
  
Sirius  
  
Harry went and asked his aunt straight away if it was all right. She replied that she thought it would be fine, as long as they could meet Sirius first, and he would have to stay for dinner. The look on her face said otherwise though. When Harry walked out of the room though he noticed a sad look on her face.  
  
'Could his aunt really be upset he was going?' Harry wondered.  
  
The thought would have been inconceivable to Harry a few years ago, but now the Dursley's seemed somehow changed. He must remember to come and visit them after he had left. Harry scribbled off a quick reply saying that that would be fine, except Sirius would be expected to stay for dinner. Harry laughed thinking of Sirius's face when he reads that. Sirius had never thought much of the Dursley's, but that had stemmed from what Lily had told him about Petunia and Vernon.  
  
'At any rate' Harry thought, ' it would make for an entertaining meal, and it was only two nights off.  
  
Dinner that night was also an interesting affair. They went to a fancy place in the village and Petunia was introducing Harry to everyone she knew.  
  
'This is Harry, our nephew. You know he's Head Boy at his school this year! We're taking him out to celebrate.'  
  
Harry was just waiting for someone to reply,  
  
'Oh yes Petunia, you must be so proud, Head Boy of a correctional institute, what did he have to do to get that? Have the least number of detentions?'  
  
Strangely enough, no one made that remark, although that is where everyone had thought he had been they must have respected Petunia enough not to comment and just congratulated the Dursley's on having brought up the two boys so well.  
  
The meal itself was delicious, although his aunt and uncle seemed to be going out of their way to be nice to him. They asked him questions about the subjects he was taking, his friends, his responsibilities as Head Boy and his final exams at the end of the year. They didn't even flinch when Dudley once again brought up the suggestion of Harry brewing him a love potion.  
  
'Surely they won't expel the Head Boy!' Dudley had joked.  
  
His aunt and uncle had joined in, and then commented that Dudley shouldn't have to resort to magic to get a girl. He was handsome enough to get a girl the traditional way.  
  
'Perhaps' he thought, 'they don't really want me to go. Maybe I should stay. Dumbledore seemed to think it was safe. But then I won't get to know Sirius well and he is my godfather. It would hurt him so much, he was so excited that night when I agreed to go and live with him. And I want to learn more about my parents. I will go with Sirius, there are things I need to do and Sirius will be able to help.'  
  
Even so, later that night, Harry couldn't help but feel a little guilt about leaving them. They hadn't exactly been generous, but at least they'd kept a roof over his head.  
  
'I'll get those photos of my mum tomorrow' he thought.  
  
And with that thought he slept peacefully without the visions plaguing him for the first time since Sirius had been cleared. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Old Life meets New Life  
  
Sirius Black sat in a corner of The Leaky Cauldron sipping Butterbeer. He had almost tied up all the loose ends, except for just the one. He figured he should sort it out before Harry moved in. The problem was that he didn't know how to sort things out.  
  
Chrys.  
  
He had been putting off seeing her until he worked out what he wanted to do and to do that he had to put his life in perspective.  
  
Chrystal Àille had been a year below the Marauders at Hogwarts and had been more of a friend to Lily than to the boys, despite having known the boys most of their lives. She was an extremely clever witch, and in a way Hermione very much reminded Sirius of her. She had been infatuated with Sirius, since she had met him as a young girl; she had always been following him around. At first it was good having a kind of slave who would do anything for you. But then when she came to school, his mates had started giving him a hard time about, his admirer, he had started making fun of her in a kind teasing manner, but enough to deter her from admiring him. Then Sirius had fallen for Lily, and his eyes had been so clouded by Lily, that he hadn't seemed to notice her. When he saw her a Lily and James wedding he had been shocked to see that his little admirer had grown up. They had started a relationship that never really went anywhere by the time that Lily and James had been killed.  
  
Chrys was one of the Aurors who had responded the night Lily and James were killed. She had arrived to find her best friend and one of her good friends dead. She had believed that Sirius had been their secret keeper and had had a real go at Sirius when she saw him later that night. Sirius pleaded his case but she had been too emotional to listen. Then the next day, when Peter had screamed that Sirius had killed James and Lily, then killed 13 Muggles and faked his own death, she hadn't known what to believe. He knew that she had been extremely disillusioned with the Ministry when he was sent to Azkaban without a trial. She had come to see Sirius, just the once in Azkaban, telling him that she was thinking of quitting her career as an Auror, playing Quidditch for a living and trying to search for a loophole in the law to free Sirius. Sirius had been speechless. He knew she was having trouble coming to terms with what had happened, but he felt her course of action was perhaps a bit drastic. Not that he wouldn't mind being free. That was the last time he had seen her. She had written him to tell him that she was going to remain an Auror.  
  
'There are still so many battles to be fought and I for one want to be able to help fight them. I hope you understand Sirius, but there are important things at stake even though Voldemort has fallen' Yes, Sirius had understood, and she had been right by saying that there were still fight's to be fought, given Voldemort's return, but by staying an Auror, Sirius felt she had given up him. 'An Auror just can't be with a convicted criminal. I do love you, but you understand, don't you? I know you're innocent and if you ever are free, then maybe, but for now.'  
  
He was still resentful of the fact that she had thrown everything away and had never come and seen him again.  
  
It had been because she was an Auror that Sirius hadn't dared approach her while she was on the run. Although he knew she believed he was innocent, he didn't think she would have any qualms about turning him in. He could have been wrong, but he didn't want to take the risk. Then at the hearing, she had flung her arm's around Sirius, kissed him passionately, but hesitantly and blankly stared at him saying  
  
'Please see me again Sirius'  
  
Up until that moment when he had seen her, he had convinced himself that he was going to end it if she still had any feelings for him. It would have been unfair on him to drag it out any longer.  
  
Yet, when he saw her that day he had been stunned. She was no longer the little bookworm he remembered from their school days; or the smart Head Girl who had been stunning as Lily's maid of honour; instead she had become surprisingly beautiful. Her blues eyes glistened at the sight of Sirius, her caramel coloured hair shone in the sunlight. She looked amazing. Sirius had forgotten the way she made him feel, and he had remembered back to when she had been the centre of his attention, back when they were children.  
  
Two weeks later, nothing had changed. Sirius did not want to have to live without her, but he needed to know how she felt. Things were still so awkward.  
  
Chrystal Àille's hair shone was she walked into The Leaky Cauldron. She spied Sirius in the corner.  
  
'How typical. He's sitting in the corner planning what mischief he can get up to. I wonder what happened to that map of his?'  
  
Seeing Sirius made her heart skip a beat. Even though she was unsure how he felt about her, she knew she loved him. His black hair and twinkling eyes always managed to make her heart skip a beat. She had been hurt by the fact that Sirius had stopped writing to her and that he had not tried to contact her after he had escaped from Azkaban. Even though she was an Auror, he should have known she would not turn him in, and besides, she wanted to know how he had escaped.  
  
She had had to stop visiting him because when the Ministry found out that she had visited him, they had threatened to sack her. She had cared then because she couldn't throw her future away for something that may never be possible. She didn't have anything else to live for when Sirius was gone, just the job. She didn't care what the Ministry thought now. Too many years had been lost and the Ministry was crumpling under the rise of Voldemort. They were being criticised for not sending all the Death Eater's to Azkaban, and for the scandal surrounding Mr Crouch's involvement in freeing his son, a convicted Death Eater. She didn't care to the extent that she was taking a year off and taking up Dumbledore's offer to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. She smiled at the thought of it. Dumbledore seemed to like having Auror's to teach the subject and she definitely needed a break, having been run off her feet in the past couple of years since Voldemort's rebirth.  
  
Chrystal walked over the Sirius and gave him a huge hug.  
  
'I thought you were never going to talk to me again'  
  
Sirius laughed at the thought,  
  
'How could I?' he asked. 'You'd probably arrest me and find someway to punish me by sending me back to Azkaban.'  
  
'That would kind of defeat the purpose wouldn't it,' she mocked.  
  
After a couple of minutes of silence, she spoke up  
  
'Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.'  
  
Chrystal explained her disillusionment with the Ministry, a story Sirius had heard before. She explained Dumbledore's offer and how she felt like she needed a break from chasing Death Eater's full time, and being at Hogwarts' she felt she might be able to do something useful for Dumbledore.  
  
'Beside's you were never too keen on dating an Auror, if you're being honest Sirius.'  
  
This time Sirius was not struck speechless. He knew all too well what had been happening, Dumbledore had kept him well informed. He imagined the Ministry would have been furious when she'd asked for a year off; she was by far one of the best Aurors out there. He decided now would be an appropriate time to spring some news on her too,  
  
'It's looks like we'll be working together then darling. I've taken up a small position at Hogwarts myself. Not large enough to take up a lot of time, but enough that the Death eater's don't come chasing me and it has me close enough to Dumbledore to keep working on the project!'  
  
Chrystal nodded. She was well aware of what had been going on and was no surprised that Sirius was involved. The two of them became deeply engrossed in conversation, until Sirius suggested that perhaps it was time to leave. He hesitated before he asked her back to his place. Harry would be coming in a couple of days. He wondered about the kind of example he would be setting for him, and the example he should be setting for an almost seventeen year old.  
  
'Oh Chrys,' he said hesitantly  
  
'What?' was the reply, her blue eyes fixated on Sirius.  
  
'Harry is moving in, in a couple of days, we won't have anytime for ourselves really. I know this is moving rather quickly but do you want to come back with me. We can just talk, no pressure.'  
  
'Harry Potter?' was the reply.  
  
'He's my godson remember.'  
  
'I'll come back, but if you try anything on me Sirius Black you'll wish you'd never been born. No pressure hey? I seem to remember that if Sirius Black was involved there's always pressure.' She smiled sheepishly.  
  
They apparated back to Sirius's where he prepared them some fancy drink concoction and they sat down on the couch reminiscing. Things were fine one minute then suddenly the next they became quite awkward. He was sitting there staring at her beautiful eyes wondering hat it would take to pin her down. Suddenly she turned and kissed him with a passion that Sirius had never felt before. Then she turned to him and said;  
  
'That's all you get now Sirius Black, because even though your godson is moving in, I want to pick things up where we left off, not just suddenly advance to a new level. Come over for dinner tomorrow.'  
  
And with that she apparated.  
  
'Women,' Sirius muttered under his breath. 'Why do they like to torture you?'  
  
*~*  
  
Hermione Granger spent that evening in fairly similar fashion to Harry.  
  
Her parents were absolutely ecstatic that she had been named Head Girl that after she had sent off her immediate owl, they had taken her out for a nice fancy dinner to celebrate. She had had to get dressed up and enjoyed the time spent pampering herself. It wasn't often that she got the chance to be spoiled rotten, her parents tried to make an effort when she came home from school, but they weren't always able to given how busy they usually were. They were however extremely proud of their daughter despite the fact that she wasn't going to do medicine at Oxford now. She was treated to a lovely three-course meal, while her parents included her in their discussion of current events, sensing that she had indeed matured while she had been away. When they had returned, Ron's owl Pig flew through her window. It contained a letter and a package from Ron. She opened the letter  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
Congratulations on your appointment as Head Girl. Ginny received her letter today confirming that she will be a prefect this year, and it said that you and Harry are Head Boy and Girl. Just like Harry's parents, it's kind of strange given that they were the Head Boy and Girl the last time it was two Gryffindors. I know that you were definitely the best candidate. And I hope you two don't both end up dead like them.  
  
Harry will be coming to stay for the last week before school goes back; you're more than welcome to come as well. I hope that you will. I promise to be good.  
  
And Hermione, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a git last term. I know that you were right when you said that our relationship was over, and that we wrong to even start it in the first place. I don't want to spoil our friendship, I was just so angry from seeing Ginny with that git in the Charms classroom. Have you told Harry yet? I talked to Ginny about it and I know she had already ended it with Harry, it just seems a bit wrong, but perhaps I'm being overprotective of my little sister.  
  
Please forgive me and let everything go back to normal Love Ron  
  
Inside the package was a small book on past Head Girl's at Hogwarts. He had written her name as the most recent entry.  
  
It was a very Ron present. Thoughtful, something he knew she would appreciate.  
  
'He must be trying to make amends. I didn't want for things to end badly, nor did he, but we just couldn't keep on lying to each other.'  
  
And it kind of happened because they had been spending so much time together, just the two of them because Harry had been running off with Ginny. Also probably because they were both curious, just part of growing up.  
  
She wanted to remain friends with Ron; he had just been so childish in the weeks afterward. If she went to The Burrow, she hoped he would act his age. She was sick of his lusting after her. It would be quite annoying.  
  
She decided to go anyway, and perhaps Ron could come to terms with just being friends before school started. And she was going to have to go to Diagon Alley to get her things and she may as well go with Ron and Harry.  
  
Hermione wrote a reply, confirming that she would come and stay, and thanked Ron for the lovely present. Then she wrote to Harry congratulating him on becoming Head Boy.  
  
After sending off the letters, she had time to think.  
  
She knew that she had to put things in perspective before term started. It would be their final year and Hogwarts and it was time to start making important decisions. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, and even with the record number of O.W.L.s she had received she was extremely nervous about the upcoming N.E.W.T.s. She also needed to work out how she felt about Harry. She knew how she felt about Ron, but given the recent time spent with Harry she wondered if her feelings were changing. She had been there for him when he and Ginny had broken up. Until then Harry had just been Harry, and amazing wizard and friend whom she respected very much. Now she was wondering if it was possible if he was becoming something more. She knew he didn't feel that way about her, so she wanted to be sure before she potentially ruined another friendship. A repeat of the Ron disaster was not high on her priorities considering that she would be taking her N.E.W.T.s this year.  
  
After her day dreaming, Hermione looked around to locate her book. She saw Crookshanks sitting on the desk, leaning over her copy of The Daily Prophet. 'That's odd. I wonder if Half-Kneazles can read? I know that Crookshanks is definitely not an Animagus.'  
  
And with that thought she dug through her books to find her copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  
  
*~*  
  
Ron Weasley was putting away his broomstick after a hard afternoon of Quidditch training. Ron was Quidditch captain for the following year and wanted to make sure that Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup, so he had spent the last couple of weeks practicing manoeuvres with Fred and George. Ron had replaced Oliver Wood on the team as Keeper, and then by a stroke of luck they had chosen him as captain, coming with strong recommendations from the twins. The Gryffindor team had not regretted the decision; they had not lost the cup with Ron as captain.  
  
Ron had found out today that Harry and Hermione were Head Girl and Boy.  
  
'I guess they'll be spending more time together,' he thought with a sigh.  
  
Ordinarily Ron would have been jealous of this appointment, but with the amount of time he was spending playing Quidditch, both at school as well as, as the reserve keeper for the Chudley Cannons and trying to come up with strategies for the Gryffindor team, he wouldn't have time for any more responsibility. And if he was honest about it, he really didn't want to spend much time with Hermione on his own. He knew that things would be awkward because he had acted like such a git at the end of last year. And after the whole Ginny fiasco, Ron didn't always feel exactly comfortable around Harry either. That would change when they both came to the Burrow. Ron was going to come clean with both of them and hopefully put everything back on track.  
  
Ron was going to spend most of the summer, when he wasn't playing Quidditch, working for the twins. Fred and George still had had another year at Hogwarts after they had gotten that loan from anonymous tender. They had followed their father's advice to invest the money and had been surprised by the amount of interest they had accumulated. It certainly had been enough to set up their joke store. In fact, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was set up in Hogsmeade, and many Hogwarts students were known to visit there on their Hogsmeade weekends. Somehow, they had managed to con Percy into managing the store. It became custom that Percy would apparate into the store just before closing time (after he had finished his days work at the Ministry), look over the accounts, make sure that the twins were doing everything by the book. Percy had surprisingly loosened up over the past couple of years, it had been the combined efforts of Penelope Clearwater and the offer of Fred and George which made him feel as though they accepted him as part of the family. Percy had continued with his job at the Ministry, but no longer seemed determined to be the youngest ever Minister of Magic.  
  
Ron was looking forward to earning a bit of extra pocket money. He'd be able to afford lots of sweets from Honeyduke's this year. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three Crossing the Lake It was a warm night in the house just outside of Portree. Summer was always pleasant on Skye, but for what reason no one had ever been able to work out. Chrystal had just finished adding the final touches to the dinner she had prepared when Sirius appeared into her kitchen. 'Right on time Mr Black,' she remarked 'Well. I'm a sucker for punishment,' Sirius grinned. 'I need one last feed before I die. By the way, I'm picking up Harry tomorrow; I have to have dinner with his Muggle family.' Chrystal laughed. 'That will be entertaining, from what Lily has told me I'm sure that'll be a pack of laughs. I wonder if they're really as bad as Lily made out.' 'I think they're worse from what Harry has told me. One year they gave him a coat hanger for Christmas, poor boy. Anyhow, I intend to enjoy it. I love poking fun at Muggles and anyhow, I want to know what sort of people have been taking care of my godson. And they think I'm a murderer so I think I'll have a bit of fun with that.' 'Will you ever grow up Sirius?' was the immediate reply to that statement. Sirius turned and stared at her face 'You'll have to convince me,' was the very serious answer. He gazed deeply into her eyes. He wondered what it would take to pin her down. He had never been the settling down type, but that was after Lily and before Azkaban. Sirius felt as if he'd gone through some type of transformation. He could not believe how beautiful she was. Somehow she had transformed over these years from a shy little creature into a goddess, like grains of sand coming together to form a beautiful crystal. Sirius could not resist her any longer. He grabbed her, pulling her close to him and kissed her. 'I've wanted to do this for so long. It's been absolute torture. Why can't we pick up where we left off, what's so wrong with that?' 'Sirius, I don't want to get into an argument about it. I'm just not certain how much you feel for me. I mean, you've been a dog for the beast part of sixteen years; anything would look attractive to you. Besides I don't want to spoil dinner given that you'll practically be untouchable for the next couple of weeks.' 'Chrys, that's hardly fair. After being in Azkaban, anything that isn't a Dementor is attractive! And besides, I won't spoil dinner. I promise not to transform once!' 'I've heard that one before,' she replied. Despite the laughter that followed there was a notable tension in the air. Chrystal just wasn't sure if Sirius loved her enough. She'd never been sure. Despite the time that was lost, she felt she could wait a little while before she became too wrapped up in him again. As he was getting ready to leave Chrystal asked; 'What are you going to tell Harry about us? I assume you're not going to ignore me just because you've got your godson staying, but I also acknowledge that you won't want me just popping in anytime I choose. In fact, I take it I won't be able to use Floo to get there and I'll probably have a lot of difficulty if I try to apparate.' 'Yes, well for security reasons, I have taken my fireplaces off the Floo network, and you will have trouble apparating. It's just a formality really, Dumbledore's taking care of it as we speak, I mean, given that Harry's staying. Despite Harry demonstrating that he's able to look after himself, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks. He was protected at his aunt and uncle's and I want him to be just as safe with me. At the same time I don't want him to feel like he's in prison. And about us, I haven't considered what to tell him yet. I don't exactly know where things are going and neither do you. I don't suppose he knows exactly everything that went on. He has been told bits and pieces and put them together. Mind you I did get a rather inquisitive look when you kissed me the day of the hearing.' 'Well Sirius, you have to consider that he's not a boy anymore, he's a man. And you don't know how difficult it is to be a father to a man,' she snapped. 'You don't either. In fact I couldn't imagine you ever knowing what it's like to be a father.' It was just like in the old days. She would snap at him and he'd make a joke of it. She turned to him and said; 'Shut up and kiss me before you leave Sirius, then you can owl me when you're ready for us to meet. Remember, we are going to be teaching together and the students may talk, whether or not the talk is rumour or fact, they'll have a bit of fun when they discover we went to school together. Your godson will be one of those students, Sirius.' 'Don't remind me,' was the quick reply. He kissed her goodbye and then disappeared into thin air after hearing her say, 'Keep your eyes open for Peggs.' She sighed as he left. Why couldn't things just go back to the way they had been before, when James and Lily were still around and Sirius had never spent twelve years in Azkaban. 'Lily' she thought 'I wonder if that's why?' Life was complicated enough without Voldemort on the loose. *~* Harry's last night at the Dursley's was a reasonably quiet affair. Having mustered up the courage to ask if his aunt had any photos of his mother, Harry was surprised not only that his aunt agreed to pull them out but also that she appeared very nostalgic. Petunia sat all three men down and told them stories about when she and Lily were young, before Lily had gone to Hogwarts. Harry was surprised by the brightness of her eyes. Just like his. Lily's eyes were like no one else's in the family. They were what made Lily unique. There was something about Lily Potter's eyes that he just couldn't put his finger on. Tears began to well in his eyes, as he listened to his aunt talk about his mother. They had spent so many wonderful hours together as little children, then Petunia had begun to grow up, a gap began to form between the two girls. Then Lily found out she was a witch. Harry sensed from the way his aunt had always referred to Lily that she had been jealous, but Harry began to think it might run much deeper than that. Something bad had happened to destroy the bond they had. Something much more than Lily being a witch. Listening to the stories Harry became sad. He missed her; he missed both his parents. It seemed like a strange feeling given that he couldn't really remember them. All he had was bits and pieces of information that people had told him, memory flashes of the night they died and a few photos. Petunia saw that Harry appeared to be quite upset. She came around and held him close. She finally spoke in a whisper, 'You can take some of these with you if you like. Consider them a birthday present. I miss her too.' The tears welled in his eyes. 'Thanks,' was the barely audible reply. *~* Sirius arrived on time for dinner the following night. Harry had wondered at the prospect of how Sirius had acquired a driver's licence before he turned up, but Sirius arrived by walking up to the front door and knocking. After Harry had answered the door and saw there was no car he gave Sirius a confused look. 'I, um couldn't arrange a car licence and my sister would not let me borrow her without one, doesn't trust me you see, so I apparated to the village, walked here and we'll catch The Knight Bus back so we can take everything you want to bring with you,' explained Sirius. Harry invited Sirius in. Sirius on seeing Petunia strolled right up to her, 'Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather. You must be Petunia. Glad to finally meet you at last.' Petunia gave a quick reply and showed him into the dining room. Harry watched as she eyed him over. She looked slightly disappointed, as if Sirius did not quite look the way she expected. Not quite roguish enough. Harry wasn't surprised at her reaction; he knew that his respectable aunt and uncle were dying to know what a convicted murderer looked like. They had been whispering things like 'Do you think he'll have a tattoo?' or 'Do you think we should allow Dudley to meet him?' all day. Harry hoped that dinner wouldn't be too painful. He couldn't imagine what his aunt and uncle could possibly talk to Sirius about. Harry hoped it wasn't Uncle Vernon's drills. It turned out to be far worse. Sirius opened the conversation, after praising Petunia on her wonderful meal. 'Tell me, I've missed so much of Harry's life, can you fill me on his first thirteen years.' By this stage both Petunia and Vernon had had a bit to drink, so they were more than willing to tell Sirius about some of his exploits. 'Remember Vernon, how I used to try and cut Harry's hair and it would just grow back overnight, so the next day it looked as though it hadn't been cut?' 'Or what about the time, do you remember Petunia, when Dudley and his friends were chasing Harry and he just ended up on the roof?' 'What about the time when he freed that snake at the zoo?' 'Or the time when he exploded Aunt Marge?' The night continued on like this, Petunia and Vernon describing episodes of Harry's accidental magic. Harry was surprised that they were laughing. Sirius seemed extremely amused. Harry was secretly glad his aunt and uncle were a little drunk otherwise they'd probably be telling them how bad he was and how they'd really wanted to send him to a school for the incurably criminal boys and in fact had told everyone that that is where they had sent him. Finally Sirius announced that it was time to leave. Sirius thanked the Dursleys for the wonderful dinner and for taking care of Harry all these years. Harry said his goodbyes, firstly a formal one to Uncle Vernon, thanking him for his hospitality, then he received a boyish slap on the back from Dudley, asking him to keep in touch and to remember to send him that love potion. Petunia came and gave him a big hug. She whispered into his ear; 'Harry, I know that you will find this hard to believe but I am sorry to see you go. I know we haven't always treated you right; your cousin was kind enough to point that out to us. Perhaps one day I'll be able to explain more, there's a lot more to your mother than I think you fully understand. Sirius may be able to fill in some of the gaps. I am very proud to call you my nephew, Harry, despite you being a wizard. Whether of not Vernon will ever accept it, I don't know, but I would be devastated if you did not keep in touch. Take care of yourself, if not for you, please do it for Lily' His aunt's nostalgia was extremely bizarre and Harry seriously wondered if someone had put the entire family under the Imperius. He waved goodbye and walked out the door, noticing that it was dark outside. They walked out of the house with all of Harry's things, when Sirius cast a quick spell on his trunks. 'It makes them lighter,' Sirius explained. Sirius led Harry to what looked like a deserted park and then he stuck out his wand arm. A familiar bang sounded and The Knight Bus appeared. Harry gazed at the gold lettering as the familiar face of Stan Shunpike appeared from behind the door. 'Ah, It's young 'Arry Potter and Sirius Black. Or are ya Neville Longbottom tonight son?' Stan winked at Harry as he began to laugh. 'Hope you enjoy this trip more than ya did the firs' lad.' Stan then looked at Sirius. 'Long time since I've seen you in person Sirius,' he said. 'Seen your ugly mug on the news a fair bit. Thought you'd look a bit more 'aunted than ya looking. Good to see you again' Stan laughed. 'Really, that's very interesting' Sirius replied. 'Last time my godson rode this bus I believe you said something along the lines of me being mad, a big supporter of You-know-who and you were glad I was in Azkaban.' Sirius looked extremely angry for just long enough for Stan to get uncomfortable enough to mutter an apology, when Sirius laughed and suggested if he had been in Stan's shoes he'd have probably have said the same thing. 'How much do we owe you?' Sirius asked. Where are you off to tonight?' Stan asked. 'Padfoot's Manor, it's on the other side of the river from Godric's Hollow, you'd be best to let us off next to the lake.' 'That'll be 'bout fifteen sickles each' Stan replied. 'Hey Ern, look 'hoo's 'ere!' Ernie looked around and gave Harry a wink. 'Nice ta see ya Neville,' he said. Sirius pulled out some sickles, paid Stan and then headed towards their beds. Sirius saw his godson's eyes fill with inquiry at the mention of Godric's Hollow. Sirius had never mentioned to Harry how close he had been from his parents when they had been killed. He looked at his godson seriously before he spoke, 'Harry, I know that there's a lot that we need to talk about, but I think it's important that you get your rest tonight, so that I have your full attention. I promise you I will explain everything, I don't want there to be any secrets between us. Okay?' Harry nodded. Sirius went to tuck Harry in, a gesture that seemed both strange and necessary; it demonstrated a bond between the two did not need to be spoken. People on the bus looked in amazement as they saw a middle-aged wizard tucking in a nearly fully grown one, but no one stared long enough to ask any questions. Not having to worry about people having just blown up his aunt, Harry enjoyed this trip on The Knight Bus a lot more. He enjoyed seeing different parts of the United Kingdom, which he hadn't spied before, before long however he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Sirius was right about Harry being tired, once he shut his eyes, he fell asleep fairly quickly. About an hour later, Sirius gently shook him to wake him to tell him they had arrived. 'Harry, we're here. Come and have a look at your new home.' Harry opened his eyes, peered out the window to see where the bus had pulled over. They were next to a lake, and over the other side Harry could see parts of a building. In the darkness he couldn't make it out. Sirius leant over and said 'It's much easier to see from closer up. It's just safer to get out here. Come on, I'll levitate your trunks over, grab Hedwig's cage and I'll show you how to cross the lake.' 'It's a bit tricky,' said Sirius when Harry emerged from the bus. 'You have to step on the right Lilly pad and then you can cross safely. See this one here, that's got a slightly different colour?' Harry nodded 'You touch that with you wand and it will let you cross. Just a little magic burglar alarm that Remus created for me. Keeps the Muggles away and some uninvited witches as well.' Harry observed Sirius. When his foot touched the Lilly pad a small footbridge emerged from the water. Harry was glad, as he didn't really feel like swimming, and the lake itself was not by any means a small lake. Suddenly Sirius told Harry to wait. He glanced up ahead, as if looking for something. Harry looked around, but he couldn't see anything. Perhaps Sirius was just being overly cautious. Satisfied that nothing dangerous was ahead, Sirius continued crossing. When they finally reached the other side, Harry got a good glimpse of Sirius's house. It was a kind of cottage, but perhaps maybe slightly too big to be called a cottage. His attention was drawn to a sign next to the door, visible from the oil lantern that was burning outside the cottage. The sign indeed said Padfoot's Manor. Harry chuckled at the sign. Whatever you may call this house it certainly wasn't a manor. Malfoy would have a field day if he saw that. Harry could just picture it. 'Your godfather's house is called Padfoot's Manor, Potter. It's not even a manor, its' a tiny cottage. Has he been taking lessons out of the Weasley Book of home design!' That's what Malfoy would say. 'I'll take you straight to your room, so you can get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning.' Sirius showed Harry upstairs to his room, which was bigger than Dudley's room at Privet Drive. It was a very rich room, full of deep colours. The curtains and matching rug were a deep scarlet colour, the four-post bed with a matching quilt. In a sense it reminded him of the Gryffindor common room. There was a fireplace, which had a couple of logs burning to warm up the room, with a comfortable chair sitting next to the fireplace. A table was sitting next to chair in case someone had wanted to sit in front of the fire and drink or read. A desk had been placed underneath the window, and Sirius must have dug out a few of his old school books and placed them on the nearby bookshelf. The books looked almost new, Sirius had probably never opened them. It appeared to Harry as though Sirius had gone to a lot of trouble to make the room nice, yet homely and suitable for Harry's needs, yet just grand enough for to spoil Harry a little which was a lot more than he had ever been spoilt at Privet Drive. Sirius left Harry to get ready for bed. Harry looked around the room, when an object caught Harry's eye. It was a silver photo frame with a picture of Harry and his parents on his first birthday. Sirius had thought of everything. Harry located his pyjamas from his trunk and headed straight for bed. Sirius was right; it had been a long day. Sirius headed downstairs and gazed out the window. He shook his head in astonishment. The chestnut horse was still there, as if it had been watching their every move. Then just as suddenly as it appeared, it had vanished. 


End file.
